Molasses Alternatives ?

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lms0229

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Are there other natural alternatives to providing molasses? If there are alternatives to molasses; do they affect the cattle differently? Do some people never have to provide molasses? Thank you!
 
I have never fed molasses. Too hard to get in a grinder mixer. I'm sure the cows would like it. Dry molasses is a lot higher priced than liquid. The cows would eat faster, but they have all day, so it's just an expense I don't need.
 
lms0229":1oz7sy3m said:
Are there other natural alternatives to providing molasses? If there are alternatives to molasses; do they affect the cattle differently? Do some people never have to provide molasses? Thank you!
Why do you feed molasses and why are you looking for an alternative??
 
I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.
 
Molasses is a carrier for urea or a natural protein source such as cottonseed meal or soybean meal. You are looking for a protein source to feed the rumen microbes.
 
lms0229":9a71fnsv said:
I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.
If your cattle are ruminating their digestive system is most likely in excellent condition. No amount of microbes will digest something that is undigestible.
 
TexasBred":1s6gj2ai said:
lms0229":1s6gj2ai said:
I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.
If your cattle are ruminating their digestive system is most likely in excellent condition. No amount of microbes will digest something that is undigestible.

I'm sure it has something to do with trying to be organic, or what ever the current hippie craze is.
 
M-5 I'm by no means a "hippie" but a Conservative Libertarian Texan to be exact if you are into labeling people you don't know anything about. Just because I am ignorant in raising cattle does not make me by any means dumb. I have been raising exotics for most of my life and not cattle, so excuse me for asking hippie like questions. Why waste my time and yours and everyone else's by writing derogatory comments??? If you are any good cowboy I am sure you have heard the saying "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all!"
 
lms0229":33m5m5wp said:
I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.

Have you considered grass..
 
Sugar increases microbial activity far more than grass alone... that's why it is fed to dairy cows to increase milk production... so I was seeing if there was a cheap alternative that could be grown and grazed on that would mimick this in pasture cattle in southern parts of the US...
 
lms0229":1hj4xbb6 said:
Sugar increases microbial activity far more than grass alone... that's why it is fed to dairy cows to increase milk production... so I was seeing if there was a cheap alternative that could be grown and grazed on that would mimick this in pasture cattle in southern parts of the US...

So what kind off molasses are you currently buying.
 
lms0229":2dyvmlmz said:
M-5 I'm by no means a "hippie" but a Conservative Libertarian Texan to be exact if you are into labeling people you don't know anything about. Just because I am ignorant in raising cattle does not make me by any means dumb. I have been raising exotics for most of my life and not cattle, so excuse me for asking hippie like questions. Why waste my time and yours and everyone else's by writing derogatory comments??? If you are any good cowboy I am sure you have heard the saying "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all!"

Im not a good Cowboy
 
M-5 it is more than apparent that you are not a good person... easy for cowards to hide behind a blog and be a jerk to someone unnecessarily than to do it to their face I guess.
 
BC thank you for your answer. I found that I need prilled urea to act as a carrier for the sugar (molasses) for the rumen bugs to properly utilize it. I found out that urea supplies 2.87g of crude protein per gram of urea (46% nitrogen)
 
lms0229":3msf4gd7 said:
BC thank you for your answer. I found that I need prilled urea to act as a carrier for the sugar (molasses) for the rumen bugs to properly utilize it. I found out that urea supplies 2.87g of crude protein per gram of urea (46% nitrogen)

Ims the molasses tubs you see everyone using are exactly that. Urea and or cottonseed meal. The molasses is the carrier. Like putting sugar on a kids cereal. This is popular in Texas . Especially where shallow soil causes grass to dry out in the heat. The protein supplement allows the standing dry grass to be utilized. You can feed the urea in a tub or you can spread it on your grass as fertilizer.
Anyway. Plenty of sugar in good grass. If your he'll bent on growing sugar. Johnson grass, hybrid Sudan, redtop cane, sugar cane I reckon.
 
Thank you callmefence! I bought cows 2 days ago and I am just a girl trying to figure it all out and I am in over my head. I needed cows badly and decided to stop doing business with a neighbor that I allowed to put cattle on my place after his dogs killed 7 of my exotics and he isn't willing to pay me for damages. My exotics can't keep up with the grass and after the bad experience I decided I will buy my own cows to keep the grass in check.

I know that humans can only absorb so much protein at one time but that if we eat something sugary like gummy bears that the increase in glucose allows for our bodies to be better able to absorb more protein. I was just trying to figure out if it was the same principal and if that is why cowboys bought molasses tubs. I didn't realize it was in combination with urea and I wanted to see if there was something similar that they could graze on to increase their absorption of protein without having to buy molasses. I didn't mean to ask any dumb questions. I just want the cows to get the best possible care I can provide. My exotics are some of the best in the country and i think it is because I do try to make sure they are taken care of and I just want the same for my cows.
 
Glad some one put you onto the right track. I think for most of us your question didn't translate well.


"I was just trying to figure out if it was the same principal and if that is why cowboys bought molasses tubs."

Buying tubs is a habit for a lot of people, cause that's what they always done.
 
Ims - the "snickering" you are getting is because newbies always try to re-invent the wheel. Good lush, vegetative stage grass should have all the sugar the cows need. Your job is to provide that source of growing grasses, which can be extremely tricky depending on location. A molasses tub may be necessary during your non-growing season if you will be grazing stock-piled pastures. I live in Upstate NY, so I have a long "non-growing" season, but we put up quality hay, so I do not need to supplement with anything.
 
lms0229":usq9dnu0 said:
Sugar increases microbial activity far more than grass alone... that's why it is fed to dairy cows to increase milk production... so I was seeing if there was a cheap alternative that could be grown and grazed on that would mimick this in pasture cattle in southern parts of the US...
Grasses contain sugars...usually all a cow needs this time of the year is good grazing. I wouldn't waste hard earned money on molasses of any kind.
 
lms0229":3udejjai said:
BC thank you for your answer. I found that I need prilled urea to act as a carrier for the sugar (molasses) for the rumen bugs to properly utilize it. I found out that urea supplies 2.87g of crude protein per gram of urea (46% nitrogen)
You've got it a bit reversed lms.....the molasses is the carrier for the urea. And yes urea has 287% equivalent protein and works very well with a molasses carrier in a high roughage (grass) diet. Unless you're cattle are losing body condition I still don't think you need the molasses or the urea at this time.
 

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